‘Faith in the Lord has been the theme of my life’

March 24, 2015

These days, 83-year-old Carter Hall teaches a FAITH evangelism class at Fairview
Baptist Church in Coushatta.
But for the former pastor who has served Louisiana Baptist churches for more
than 60 years, Halls life has mirrored the name of the class he teaches.

These days, 83-year-old Carter Hall teaches a FAITH evangelism class at Fairview
Baptist Church in Coushatta.

But for the former pastor who has served Louisiana Baptist churches for more
than 60 years, Halls life has mirrored the name of the class he teaches.

“Faith is a big factor in my life,” says Hall, who was presented
a plaque last fall by Fairview Pastor Stephen McAbee for his 60 years in the
ministry. “Faith in the Lord has been the theme of my life.”

Hall says faith brought him through the Depression during his grammar school
days.

“We were so poor we didnt know there was a Depression,” Hall
recalls.

“We didnt have to worry about how much money wed spend because
we didnt have money to spend.”

Raised in Walker, he was the fourth of seven children born to George and Addie
Hall. His father held a job as a postal service mail carrier, but his paycheck
provided little money for the single-income family.

Still, Hall does not recall ever missing a meal, as the family grew vegetables
and raised livestock.

It was during Halls childhood that he says he sensed the call to the
ministry. At first, he says he believed God wanted him to enter the missions
field in China. However, he developed health problems that prevented him from
serving overseas.

On Sept. 22, 1943 – two weeks before he began classes at Louisiana College
– Judson Baptist Church in Walker licensed Hall to the gospel ministry.
He says he planned to serve his country in World War II, just like his other
three brothers.

However, God had other plans for him.

It was at the Pineville college that Hall discovered that his place in ministry
was as a country pastor – and he learned another lesson in faith.

Halls pastor at Walker Baptist Church was J. D. Carroll – and Carroll
had encouraged his young member to attend Louisiana College. Near the end of
his first semester there, a campus official informed the students that if their
bill was not paid in full, those students would not be able to take their final
examinations. At the time, Hall lacked enough money to pay his bill.

“I stepped into my closet and prayed,” Hall says. “I talked
to one of the deans, who allowed me to borrow money from a fund.”

After sending a letter home to his father explaining his situation, members
from Walker Baptist Church collected enough money to cover Halls debt
so he could remain in school.

Then, in 1946, his roommate at Louisiana College resigned as pastor at Salem
Baptist Church in Stonewall and recommended Hall serve in an interim capacity.

After 28 months in Salem, Hall accepted his first – there would be nine
– full-time pastorate at Springhill Baptist Church in Ringgold. He remained
there until November 1953 and served as pastor of two more churches before accepting
the call to First Baptist Church of Gilbert.

He resigned in 1961 from FBC of Gilbert to take care of a family member. Hall
worked for the welfare department in Natchitoches Parish while serving as bivocational
pastor at Cypress Springs Baptist Church in Gibsland.

Although he officially retired from the full-time pastorate in 1995 after 18
years of service at Liberty Baptist Church in Coushatta, he served as interim
pastor at Yankee Springs Baptist Church in Goldonna, until 2000.

Along the way, in 1999, his faith was tested once again.

Hall frequently distributed fliers advertising camp worship services to Toledo
Bend Resort Center visitors. One Saturday afternoon that year, he was driving
home from Toledo Bend when he felt dizzy.

He could barely walk when he returned home but did not want to bother anyone
until the next morning. The following day he called for an ambulance and informed
the church of the incident.

The medical doctors told Hall he had suffered a stroke.

Nevertheless, Hall spent only three weeks away from his interim pastorate at
Yankee Springs.

After that three-week period, he underwent therapy in Bossier City. Hall says
God healed him and allowed him to return to work in a short amount of time.

“The therapists were amazed how quickly I got back to walking,” Hall
recalls. “I was able to give my testimony to folks I may never have been
able to if it werent for the stroke.”

Hall continues to participate in ministries at Fairview Baptist Church. In
addition to teaching FAITH, he is a Sunday School teacher, sings in the choir
and is involved in the churchs prayer ministry.

He also has served as clerk and treasurer for Red River Baptist Association
during the last 10 years.

Looking back on his years in the ministry, Hall says the greatest joy of the
work has been witnessing to the lost and ministering to the sick.

“Its been an A-plus situation all around,” Hall says. “The
Lord has been so good to me and just about anything he tells me to do I get
a blessing from that.”

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